Thanks

to everyone who came to my exhibition at Common last night, in particular Ash and Xian for playing their records. I'll post some photo's up as soon as I get some.
Completely unrelated - my pals Simon and Tony (the Owl Project) are doing a thing in Liverpool which might be of interest to someone -



WORKSHOP Friday 13th February 2008 6pm

The Box, FACT, 88 Wood Street Liverpool L1 4DQ

£175* *price includes workshop & materials

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m-Log Kit

Purchase an mLog kit and you get a full days workshop and all the
materials needed to build & customise an m-Log to your own spec!

m-Log is the latest development in Owl Project Technology; a powered
USB controller interface. The m-Log fits in the palm of the hand and is
made using this semicircular cross section of a branch (Just like the
iLog). Inside the m-Log is the muio interface ( www.muio.org ).

Available with a rage of built in sensor inputs (light sensors,
accelerometers etc) it has plug in and play compatibility with a wide
variety of applications, notably MAX MSP/jitter, SuperCollider and Open
Frameworks.

m-Log owners currently include, Leafcutter John, Kaffe Matthews and
Thor Magnusson (IXI software) who were also involved during its initial
development. Get your saw* and soldering iron ready and join a
community of owners and start developing and sharing your own patches
to use on one of the worlds rarest digital interfaces.

During a one day session participants will be taken through
constructing an mLog circuit, drilling the holes for the switches,
building software audio instruments in SuperCollider and MAX MSP and
finally a little sanding and oiling.

Using minimal amounts of electronics combined with the simple and
flexible material of wood we aim to return a sense of the of craft and
individuality to the production of modern hand held technology. We look
forward to making and developing m-Logs with you.

http://www.owlproject.com

* In the kit all wood will be pre cut and ready for assembly.

Manchester and Comics

This is what I do when I've got too much work on - start something else as well. And while this has no deadline (and certainly no financial reward), it already has me hooked like an excited detective.
It seems unbeknown to me at least, Manchester was a significant 'player' in British comics of the 20th Century, in terms of artists and publishers. Having spotted a couple of passing mentions in a number of books (Alan Clark's The Children's Annual and Wright and Ashford's Masters of Fun and Thrills being the key initial references), I was keen to learn more.

The artists I've got on my list so far, very briefly and carelessly summed up-
Hugh McNeill (1910-1979) - drew funnies and adventure strips for many titles incuding Beano and Knockout (Dick Turpin being one of the best known serials), and spent years on nursery strips for Playhour and other tots comics. Born in Moss Side.
Harry Hargreaves (1922-2004) - Assisted McNeill on Pansy Potter for a while. Key member of Gaumont Animation, and best known for Harold the Hare.
Ken Reid (1919-1987) - of Pendlebury. Started young with Fudge the Elf (exclusive to Manchester Evening News), before working for DC Thomson on Jonah, Roger the Dodger and Grandpa, then Frankie Stein and Faceache for Odhams.
Denis McLoughlin -(1918-2002) - I'm stretching my Manchester border as far as Bolton so as to include this amazing hardboiled pulp thriller cover artist (over 700 covers, mainly for Boardman Books), which looked more American than the original American artwork. Well known for his Buffalo Bill Annuals, as well as his Flash Gordon 'tribute' Swift Morgan.

As for publishers-
JB Allen of Sale (Fitness and Sun, Sun and Comet)
Hotspur Press / Percy Brothers, still a printers - various one-off flimsy titles in the 40's and 50's
Cardal, who put out a comic called Streamline 1947 to 53 - not much known about them it seems.
Pembertons (pictured above) - realised that it was easier to import US comic printing plates than pallets full of titles. Put out loads of reprints. Not found out if they originated anything.
World International, London Editions and a couple of others who put out TV annuals, Disney and suchlike up until relatively recent.

A lot of these seem to overlap in various ways, for example many artists worked for a Kayebon Studios art agency in Manchester. I've not even touched on Savoy, who as well as running a small chain of shops also put out the banned Lord Horror and reprinted Reid's Fudge the Elf collections. And of course DC Thomson have been printing here since the 30's (not that we have any creative claim over that).

Anyway, at the moment I'm not sure where this research is going, as I don't really know what I want to actually find out about all this activity - maybe an exhibition, an article or a small local history-type publication. I'm really enjoying the research, but anything presentable is a long way off.

Comics and Health

Just got an email from this chap Ian Williams who seems to be doing some interesting research. -
"I'm a part time GP and alternative comics enthusiast, based in North
Wales and am convinced that certain comics could be a useful resource
for health professionals. I'm writing an MA dissertation along those
lines at the moment. I've also built a website:

www.graphicmedicine.org

which lists and reviews all the graphic novels and comics I have
found which have medical themes or threads within the narrative.
(there are a couple more waiting to be added- I keep finding more!)."

I've only had a quick look, but I think he's onto something in that certain titles must be more beneficial than the overcheerful canvases and mosaics that you seem to find in hospital corridors and waiting rooms. Not that art should be useful of course. In fact, sometimes the best thing about art is that it isn't useful. I think I've always been a bit dubious about art and 'healing', so it's good that someone seems to be approaching this academically.
Anyway, I'll be having a proper explore of his site as soon as I can, as you can tell I'm uninformed and don't know enough about it to add anything more at the moment.

I'm adding his link over there on the left (my left, not yours).

The New Inn

This is what I'm up to at the moment - finishing off the images and sorting out all the bits and pieces for my exhibition The New Inn - Jan 29th, Common, Manchester. It's gonna be dead good, and I'm really enjoying doing some drawing that doesn't involve scripting and panelling out. I'm also having fun using my Pentel brush pen, even though I'm still pretty clumsy with it.
The above image is Ancoats in the 1890's, and is just one of a larger bunch of drawings that will be adorning the walls AND available to take home as very reasonably priced giclee prints.

The press release -

Two years ago Jim Medway transformed our lovely establishment into the Northern Quarter's newest record shop and in doing so created easily one of the most popular exhibitions to have graced the walls of Common since it opened four years ago. Scenes of surly shop staff staring out from behind the counter at customers sifting through the racks, and portraits of some holding up their favourite make-believe records, were all brought to life by a cast of Jim's trademark animal characters. Since then Jim has settled down in the countryside with a family, and this new life of fresh air, fine ales and roaring fires has no doubt served as inspiration for his next project with us.

'The New Inn' is Jim Medway's affectionate nod to all those rapidly disappearing pubs he's been either "too scared to go in, or too keen to go where it's more expensive but at least girls might be there". For twelve weeks, Common will be transformed into the public house of yesteryear, complete with horsebrasses, toby jugs, dead plants and peeling wallpaper. Other cliche trappings include framed photographs of the area in days gone by, reworked by Jim and available to buy.

Jim Medway has exhibited across the UK and beyond, with work in the Art Council collection and Government Art Collection, and has a permanent wall drawing on show at Manchester Art Gallery. Jim has also illustrated Michael Smith's 'Shorty Loves Wing Wong' (Faber) and is currently working on his ongoing strip 'Crab Lane Crew' for weekly kids comic The DFC"

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http://jimmedway.com/
http://pawqualitycomics.blogspot.com/
http://pawqualityclutter.bigcartel.com/
http://www.thedfc.co.uk/

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Exhibition Launch Party : Thursday 29th January 6pm - 9pm
With Midnight Mushrumps DJ's


Strictly Invitation only.

Send your NAME and ADDRESS, only TWO per application......

For invitations email : invites@aplacecalledcommon.co.uk


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Common
39 to 41 Edge Street
Northern Quarter
Manchester M4 1HW

0161 832 9245

http://www.aplacecalledcommon.co.uk

Best Christmas Present Ever

All those afternoons when Katy went off to her mums, I thought she was just drinking their tea and using their bath (our house is so small we've only got a shower). In actual fact she's been squirelling away at this - Earth's greatest Crab Lane Crew cushion.
I must get on - cats to draw.